I have a three month visa and I plan to be here for the duration. I’m not promising anything but I feel like I could easily spend 3 months here (with a few side trips thrown in.) Now that I think of it 3 months would be the longest I have been in one place in over 3 years, maybe longer. I have stated previously that I wanted to get into a cycle of one month on, one month off with the work/travel thing. 2012 turned out to be more travel than work, which it is not a bad thing, but I am now ready to put in a solid few months of productive work before planning my travels for 2013.

So far life as a temporary Saigoner has been working out well. I arrived here with with travel friends Anthony and Will, and there are plenty more friends on the way. I have already found a room in an apartment and I’m getting to know my new neighbourhood and of course all of the great places to eat.

Crazy how low the cost of living is and how cheap the apartments are! Seems like a good place to base yourself out of for three months. We are heading to HCM tonight and will be there until jan 3. If you’re around, would be nice to meet up!

I wonder if they let you make these yourself anywhere in Vietnam? In Philly there is a restaurant in Viet Town (Washington Avenue, South Philly), where you have to make them yourself. Basically they bring a ton of ‘insides’ like, many leafy veggies, carrots, shrimp, etc, etc, etc and you have the round outsides that are hard. You dip the outsides in warm water and then wrap up whatever you want in them! And, it’s NOT a touristy place, it’s a real Vietnamese neighborhood joint. But, when I was in HCMC last year, I didn’t see this style of eating.